Connections
by Sapphire's Ink
Summary: Red threads are connected to our ankles. Each individual thread leads to a different, unique person you're fated to meet. The threads may tangle or stretch, but they can never break. Merlyne is first a maidservant, but she evolves into a leader of one-third of Uther's lands, Lancelot and Mordred assisting her. 'Oh, shit' is an appropriate analogy. Pairing undecided.
1. Prologue

Merlyne Lilia-Acia never could explain her unnatural connection to everything. It all seemed more alive to her, as if everything had a golden aura, except for fiery threads around everyone's ankles. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't follow all of hers to their ends - there were just so many! Not only that, but they were so **long**! Some of them seemed to be connected to other people in the village, like Will and old man Simmons and her mother, but others seemed to be endless, and they seemed (as a whole) without number.

However, there were only two Merlyne found more pretty, intricate, long, and vibrant than all the others: an electric blue thread instead of fiery orange or crimson red, one that seemed to vibrate with her touch and made her feel more like herself. This one, rather than her ankles, was tied on her pinkie finger, and on her wrist on her other hand was an acidic green thread she could feel was equally important to her as the blue thread, if not more.

No one else in the village seemed to see these threads. They weren't just around her extremities, either; all around _their_ ankles were threads, but try as the auburn-haired girl might, she could never find anyone else that could actually _see or feel_ them. All her life when she wasn't preoccupied with her chores or work, she would try and follow the threads, one by one. The one with the most frequency and determination would have to be the blue thread, but she knew she would have to go beyond Ealdor if she was to find what was on the other end of that thread.

Another strange thing Merlyne noticed was that no one else had a blue or green thread. When she asked her mother about it without thinking, Hunith froze up and seemed to realise something, then told her daughter to go work in the fields. Merlyne tried three times after that, but quickly took the hint that Hunith wasn't going to answer when all the response she got was 'would you like some dinner' or 'go work in the fields'.

This wasn't the least of her unusual abilities. No, not at all. She could move things around with her mind before she could speak one word. Not just this, but Merlyne accidentally once lost control over her powers and summoned a tornado made of fire and it only stopped once it came into contact with the lake (thankfully, it happened on a camping trip at the lake, and only Merlyne and Hunith were present). In truth, these abilities were solely magic. No non-magic person could possibly hope to summon a tornado made of fire.

Magic wasn't her only talent, though. Cenred constantly sent soldiers to steal supplies from Ealdor. Because Merlyne was the only one with any natural fighting abilities, she was the only one who could accurately protect the village from brigands and a king who was constantly demanding war. Merlyne kept weapons taken from the dead soldiers she was constantly forced to kill. She became incredibly fierce and a force to be reckoned with, not just in magical abilities, but she was also physically gifted, so it was incredibly difficult to kill her.

In any case, it was because of the tornado incident that Hunith made the choice to send Merlyne to Camelot to study under a physician to learn magic under his teachings.

This had been planned for months, and considering the direction in which Merlyne was sent, most of the other 'thread-bearers' lay at the other end of her journey.

Merlyne took up her pack and set off down the path to Camelot after waving goodbye to her mother and Will and the others in the village she cared little for and didn't bother learning their names. With all her daggers, she departed from Essetir to Camelot.

 **So concludes the first chapter to Connections. Hope you enjoyed.**

 **-Sapphy Ink.**

 **678 words.**


	2. Well that was interesting

**Ikahorse: I don't mind Gwen/Lancelot. However, I'm not partial to Merthur. I promise it'll be implied, but I personally don't really like the ship. Gwen/Lance will be written in. Merthur will be referenced, but never outright stated. Also, Merlyne will fall in love with someone else, and until Arthur falls for someone it'll be a one-sided relationship, romantically speaking. Technically, Arthur will crush on Merlyne for a long while until someone snaps him out of the delusion anything'll happen with him and Merlyne. Also, said crush will never be explicitly mentioned, just constantly referenced.**

 **That being said, Merlyne will find love eventually.**

 **Enjoy.**

 _(The Dragon's Call)_

Merlyne was ecstatic to meet the other threads. She knew it was rude to refer to them as 'threads', but she knew there wasn't just humans, but various magical creatures, and once she followed one of the threads and it was attached to a raven (Merlyne didn't bother telling her mother about the inexplicable connection Merlyne felt between her and the raven. When she touched the bird, it seemed to solidify their relationship. The raven Merlyne named Corvus, she could feel, was always watching over her from that day). Merlyne followed the cords with care until she arrived at Camelot to see Uther Pendragon, the king of Camelot, executing a man for being a sorcerer.

Cruelty is far more vibrant here than in Ealdor. It was shocking to think so, Ealdor being in Essetir and all, but after having decided to leave us alone from his merciless reign, it became peaceful and tranquil. Quite nice, actually. However, people constantly attack us for resources (honestly, we have very little. Could they not pick on a different village?), so I make it a point to always stay alert.

Merlyne looked up to the block and envisioned herself, then shuddered. Being executed for magic wasn't necessarily on the top of her to-do list. She pitied the man on the block. It could have been her just about to be executed.

Sorcery? Couldn't this man have used sorcery to defend himself, or to escape before the guards caught him? How abnormal.

 **Merlyne's POV**

I gasped when the axe was brought down on the sorcerer's neck. How cruel.

When Uther stopped speaking, an old woman, Mary Collins, stepped up, wailing.

"There is only one evil in this land, and it is not magic!" she exclaimed. "It is you, with your hatred and ignorance!" she pointed up to the bleeding beheaded corpse. "You took my son!" she cried. "And I promise you, before these celebrations are over, you will share my tears!" she exclaimed, her voice cracking. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a child for a child!" she declared through her sorrow. Uther ordered his guards to seize her, but she used magic to teleport away before they could take but one step towards her.

See what I mean? Shouldn't the newly executed man have been able to teleport away, too?

I went up to Gaius's chambers and left my bag by the door, not wanting to disturb him, then set the letter my mother gave me for him on his table by his ink pot.

With that done, I decided to follow the blue thread.

I came to a training area outside the castle courtyard. Around a blonde's pinkie finger was an electric blue thread. I stared down at the thread, an instinct I had picked up over the years, then approached the boy with increasing doubts and hesitation. He was special, someone Merlyne never thought she would meet. ' _Can he see the threads? Can he see me? Why is his thread different?_ ' Were the most recurring thoughts. The blonde stopped tormenting his servant to spare a glance at me, only to turn his head back at me again in shock, then back down to his own pinkie where the end of my thread was tied, and the already porcelain skin lying on his face went even lighter from the shock of meeting the other side of the unique blue thread.

Answer to question one: It seemed he could see the threads, too, or perhaps just the blue one.

I approached him, and he came closer to me, too. I held out the hand bearing the thread and tied it around my hand in a gesture that I could see the thread, then held out the hand to him. He seemed to take the hint and twisted his own hand around the blue thread and clasped his hand in mine. I smiled, which was mirrored by the boy.

"It seems this was supposed to happen." the blonde told me. I nodded, then took my hand out of his.

"My name is Merlyne." I introduced myself.

"Prince Arthur." the blonde told me.

"What the hell is this?" one of the knights asked, making us both jump. Though his was less visible, he still jumped.

"Nothing!" we both responded a bit too quickly, Arthur turning around to face one of the other knights. We had temporarily forgotten that the threads were invisible to everyone but us, the 'blue thread-bearers', and tried to hide the glowing blue string.

Arthur's face hardened from the embarrassed smile he once wore. It seemed he had also forgotten that there were other people here. "Why are you all just standing there? Get back to training. There'll be a spar later; all of you against me."

"How very bold, dear prince." I addressed the other side of the blue thread once the knights had scurried away, leaving myself and the prince alone, save for the servant Arthur had been bullying earlier.

"I can handle these people." Arthur told me with arrogant confidence that, to him and the knights, seemed to be warranted.

I sighed. "Very well. Well, I should really get back to Gaius. Till next time, Sir Arthur." I told him, leaving.

"Merlyne." Arthur said, turning around to face me. I twisted my neck to look back at him.

"Yes?" I asked, genuinely curious about why he was addressing me.

Arthur approached me for theatrical purposes. "The next time we meet, I might not recognise you." I almost scoffed at this. There was no way he could miss me, not when I was the other side of that special blue thread, but I restrained myself from speaking out of turn, as no one else could see the threads. He handed me a dagger. "I want you to carry this around with you around your neck. It will allow me to recognise you." Arthur smiled.

I took the dagger. It was well-crafted in the extreme, the Pendragon crest carved into the end of the hilt, and a very ornate pattern of jewels leading up to the dagger, making the blade seem threatening. Arthur was right. Threads aside, he would never be able to not recognise me wearing this. "I can't possibly accept this." I said, trying to give him back the intricate blade. I could fully appreciate it, but it wasn't just for a prince to be giving a woman like me gifts like this, things that could be considered courting gifts.

I involuntarily shuddered. I couldn't possibly imagine being married to Arthur. Better explanation: I can't see myself being Uther Pendragon's daughter-in-law.

Arthur took it back from me, then slipped it into an equally flashy sheath and handed it back to me. "I insist."

I sighed, then took the blade. "You promise you won't let them put me in the stocks for this?" I asked.

"For what?" Arthur asked.

"If I take this and people don't know you gave it to me, then they'll think I stole it from you and sooner or later people are going to arrest me for it." I said, holding the dagger carefully, the blade pointing downwards.

"You will not be put in the stocks. If you do get dragged to my father, I get you out of prison myself." Arthur promised.

Satisfied with his declaration, I slipped the dagger over my head after attaching it to a sting sturdy enough to keep it suspended.

I bowed to Arthur and went on my way.

 **The night of the feast**

I sat on the steps wearing a sleek purple dress identical to Morgana's that she had insisted I take (I had quickly become friends with her and her maidservant, Guinevere when Gaius had ordered me to take a sleeping draught to the king's daughter for her nightmares). I will, without any hesitation, admit my complete and utter soul-encompassing boredom. I had already been here at least twenty minutes and nothing had happened but some pointless chatter.

While I wouldn't consider myself mentally unbalanced by any means, I generally hated companionship and instead loved lakes, preferring solitude and peace over getting constant headaches from annoying children or people trying to bother me. It especially happened since people found out about my true gender. My voice was somewhat deep for a woman, and I wore baggy clothes and pants, and add the fact that my hair was normally tied up into such a tight bun and in a hat or headscarf. However, by now, people probably will recognise my face as Merlyne, female, new resident of Camelot from Ealdor who befriended the king's daughter and changed Prince Arthur so as to not bully his manservant.

Hey, word gets around fast. One of the servants must have been eavesdropping on mind and Arthur's conversation a few nights past, because I don't think Gaius would reveal that I'm from Essetir of all places.

I think he's just relieved to finally know who's on the other end of the blue thread that had plagued both our thoughts for years. I am still incredibly curious where the green thread is, though. 'Vert' feels interesting.

These past nights, myself and Arthur had met up and talked about our lives. He had to hide his thread-seeing since birth from a father who killed everyone who had such a special talent. Talents like DragonSpeaking, the gift of prophecy (that is to say Seeing), and thread-seeing; the talents far too close to magic (in Uther's not-so-humble, but correct, opinion).

He grew up with no one knowing at all what those threads meant or could even see them. He had even asked Gaius to examine him for mental illnesses over twenty times and asking for eye exams twice that amount.

Each time he left, he wrapped his hand around the thread and clasped my thread-bound hand in his, a silent promise he would come back.

Uther came out from behind a stone archway, behind him a woman dressed in yellow and white.

"We have enjoyed twenty years of peace and prosperity," Uther started. "And this has brought myself and my kingdom many pleasures, but few can compare with the honour of introducing the Lady Helen of Mora!" Uther declared, gesturing towards the woman clad in the yellow dress under the pseudo-spotlight.

The woman began to sing in the old tongue, the language of sorcery and enchantments. A cool wind began to blow softly, carrying a warmth that started to lull the others to sleep. I stayed awake as I had slapped my hands over my ears to block out the noise. As Arthur fell asleep, I assumed it wasn't magic keeping me awake, but the fact that I had blocked out the noise. I could hear the song crescendo when the woman pulled a dagger from her sleeve and pointed it at Arthur. Panicked, I dropped a chandelier on her. 'Helen' looked up in shock and allowed the chandelier to fall on her, as she couldn't utter the proper enchantment to levitate it before it hit her.

The nobles awoke in shock to the fake Lady Helen turn back into Mary Collins, the mother of the man Uther had executed two days previous. Mary lifted herself, ignoring her physical pain, and threw the dagger with her last scrap of energy.

Time seemed to slow and my fear rose at an alarming rate.

'- _There will be no Albion-_ ' Kilgharrah's voice echoed through my mind as I threw myself towards Arthur.

I couldn't let that happen!

I ran over to Arthur even as the dagger got closer by the millisecond. I quickly wrapped my arms around his right arm and his neck, then pulled him backwards onto me just as the dagger split into the back of the chair into where Arthur's head had been just a millisecond before, a deafening crack echoing through the room. Thankfully for me, Arthur's instincts kicked in and he twisted himself so I would land on him and take the full force of the fall.

I sighed and let my head fall over his heart, muttering a soft 'you're okay' that no one but Arthur would be able to hear. "Thank goodness." I said, relieved I had been successful in my endeavour to get him out of harm's way. Arthur let his head fall to the ground with a sigh. Being a prince, near-death experiences had to be common, but no one had come quite that close before, as witchcraft had been used both to save him and make an attempt on his life. Despite popular belief, the guards are semi-competent and were trained to stop an attack on Camelot, especially if it involved sorcery. Just not in this case, or perhaps sometimes in the future.

No one in the room dared move an inch as Uther lifted himself from his chair and went over to me. I was scared for a moment until I caught sight of the beaming smile on Uther's face. "You saved my boy's life. A debt must be repayed." Uther said, lifting me to my feet by my shoulders.

"Sir, that's really not necessary." I replied, helping Arthur up from his place on the floor.

"No, no. I insist. This merits something quite special." Uther said setting a hand on my shoulder, which immediately made me tense. "You will be my son's maidservant." he clapped his hands, along with the multitude of people in the room.

Arthur tried to protest, but couldn't find it in him to do so, he was quite happy with the fact that I had a legitimate reason to visit him each day. I smiled, then wrapped my hand around the blue thread and held my hand out. Arthur's features softened. He wrapped his own hand around the thread and clasped his hand in mine.

"Intertwined destinies?" I asked.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Was Arthur's response, releasing my hand after a minute of playing with the thread around my finger.

This seemed to confuse a lot of people, but they chose to ignore it, instead focusing on the food in front of them. Arthur returned to his seat while I chose to go back to my room to think. Gaius came back about an hour later to find me reading a book on herbs claiming it was for research. I had changed out of the dress Morgana had given me, swapping the clothes for a pair of black pants, brown boots that went up to my knees, a blue long-sleeve shirt, a red headscarf to tie up my hair, and the dagger given to me from Arthur around my neck.

Gaius took a book wrapped in red cloth off the shelf. "This book was given to me when I was your age, but I have a feeling it'll be of more use to you than it ever was to me." Gaius said, handing me the book.

I picked the red fabric off of the book, then flipped through the pages. "But this is a book of magic." was my response, the smile still not fading.

Gaius nodded. "Which is why you must keep it hidden." he said.

I chuckled, then turned back up at Gaius. "I will study every word." I promised him.

A knock came at the door. "Miss Merlyne, Prince Arthur wants to see you immediately."

Gaius nodded towards the door. "Destiny is calling. You'd better go find out what he wants." Gaius told me. I smiled and hugged him after setting the book on the table, then went on my way.

I rushed up to Arthur's chambers, then knocked on the door. "Arthur?" I asked.

"Come in, Merlyne." Arthur responded. I opened the door to the room and looked over at Arthur. He was dressed in a white shirt and black slacks with no shoes and no socks.

I wrapped my hand around the thread and held it out. Arthur did the same, then clasped my hand in his. "If we're not careful this is going to become a regular greeting." Arthur remarked, to which I giggled.

"I think it already is." I said, taking my hand out of Arthur's and letting the thread around my hand fall to the ground.

Arthur let his own hand fall to its side, and the thread fell from his hand.

"What did you need me for?" I asked the blond, clasping my hands behind my back.

"I think we should talk about your duties as my maidservant." Arthur said, sitting down on his bed. "You will bring me my breakfast, choose my clothing, polish my armour and sword, train with me, clean my room, make my bed, and once a month you must clean the stables."

"Once a month?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Morris, my manservant, will share your duties. He will clean the stables on a more regular basis than you, sometimes attend feasts and celebrations, assist Gaius with his errands, and once a month will assist me with training." Arthur paused. "You will be learning how to learn your dagger, and such an intricate blade is not the only one you'll be keeping. You'll also learn how to wield a sword."

I bit back a remark that I didn't think I needed to practise how to use a dagger.

I took a step back. "Such a thing would likely be rare to teach a woman, much less a servant."

"Yes, but how to wield weapons is something you should learn if you're going on hunts with me." Arthur told me. I could sense no maliciousness in his tone, or any form of deception.

I nodded, then turned around to leave. "Good evening Arthur. Sleep well." I told him, leaving his bedchambers and going back to my own room.

I was still incredibly curious as to who owned the other end of the green thread. Kilgharrah compared us to two sides of the same coin. If the other end of the blue thread was someone fated to be the 'other side of her coin' as Kilgharrah put it, what would happen with the green thread? My soul mate?

Somehow, it kept coming back to this topic: mates. Over the years, I had always theorised that if only these two threads would be on my upper limbs, and in different colours than the ones on my ankles no less, that the owners of the other side of those threads would be important figures in my life, my reason. Since Arthur was one 'side of my coin', Arthur would be the reason I remain in Camelot or protected him wherever he went until I find the green thread, who she could feel was likely more important to her than Arthur. I have no clue why, but I've felt a connection with the green thread since I was six, when I felt someone 'pop' into existence, which means the threads are created long before someone's actual birth.

This likely means 'Vert' is six years younger then me.

I had taken to calling the unique threads by their names. 'Vert' would remain 'Vert' until I knew the name of the person at the other end of the cord that would influence my life so dramatically.

My feet stopped and it took a minute for me to realise my feet were on autopilot, leading me straight to a random room in the western wing of the castle.

I grew confused. This was an empty room. Why am I here? Confusion grew, but I shook my head, then forced myself to leave the presence of the room to the shared chambers between myself and Gaius. My feet grew heavy with a tiredness I hadn't realised was there before now. I had arrived back to my room and slipped under the warm covers and managed to get a full three hours of sleep before roosters crowed and Morris came, saying it was high time he taught me how to deal with Arthur in the mornings.

Rule number one: don't annoy the man.

Rule number two: don't be loud.

Rule number three: keep your head down.

Rule number four: do what needs to be done, then get the hell out of there for your other duties.

I carried the silver platter to Arthur's door, opening it as quietly as I could. Completely throwing the first three rules out the window, I threw open the curtains with a loud 'GOOD MORNING!'.

Arthur groaned and turned around. "Merlyne?" he asked groggily, a hint of annoyance seeping through his sleepy state.

I threw his selected clothes on him, then practically ran out of there carrying his chainmail, armour, sword, and his boots.

I mended the places that needed to be mended, the carefully polished the chainmail and armour. Every single link was inspected in a way that seemed natural and would likely soon become habit. The armour was fiercely polished until you could see yourself in it. I couldn't help imagining someone being beheaded while looking up at Arthur's armour. Would they be able to see their own last facial expression?

I shook away that thought and returned to the work in front of me. When I was satisfied with the mending of the armour, chainmail, boots, and that the sword was sufficiently sharpened, I sped off towards the training grounds where Arthur sat on the sidelines. He quickly threw on his armour after the chainmail, then walked with confidence to the middle of the training grounds.

"Merlyne?" Arthur asked, extending a hand. "Let the lessons begin." he declared, taking his sword from the belt and darting towards me in a run.

Shit.

 **Sorry for making chapter 1 so short, and also sorry for leaving it on a cliffhanger. Please leave a review.**

 _ **Preview for the next chapter.**_

 **"Dare tell anyone about this, and I'll cut your throat."**

 **"Arthur, I fear you're in grave danger." "Merlyne, leave me alone, for heaven's sake!"**

 **"Why do you have blue hair?"**

 **"Valiant must be exposed. He's a threat to Arthur, which means he's a threat to the kingdom." "Agreed, but how do we stop him?" "We need to go to Uther."**

 **"I will have your head!"**

 **"In accordance with the laws of Camelot, I hereby sentence you to death for the use of magic and sorcery." "YOU'VE GOT IT THE OPPOSITE WAY AROUND, I'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG! ALL I'VE DONE IS TO PROTECT THE KINGDOM!"** **"Father, isn't that sentence a bit harsh?" "Concerning sorcery, only one sentence is acceptable to me, even if she is your maidservant."**

 ***LOUD SCREAM ECHOING AROUND THE CITADEL IN MORGANA'S VOICE***

*Theme song*

To all a good night and I hope you did great on your exams! :

-Sapphy Ink.

 _ **3,987 words**_


	3. Thou shalt most certainly die

**Alright. You all remember the green thread? Merlyne's lover is on the other end. I'm on the fence about who it'll be right now, but I know that it's not Freya and will probably come later rather than sooner... Or sooner rather than later. Maybe. I really don't know.**

 **Also, there might be some random** **time-skips across this Fanfiction.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Merlin, and I will not keep saying it. Once is enough.**

 _(Valiant)_

With a yelp, I jumped to my feet, defending myself with nothing but the thin slip of strong metal in my right hand pulled from the sheathe around my neck.

My face hardened. I pushed the sword off of me and twisted my body to find a spot unprotected by his sword. When Arthur swung his sword at my feet, I jumped over his body, tumbling over his back. I swiftly turned around to press the tip of the frigid blade belonging to my dagger on the back of his neck, holding his head in position with my arm on the other side of his neck, prepared to thrust the dagger up the base of the back of his neck at any given time, leaving Arthur completely helpless. "Yield." I commanded dangerously.

"Yield." Arthur conceded. The command allowed me to take away the arm from the end of his chin and the dagger from the base of his neck. "You're awfully good. Not as good as me, but awfully good." The blond acknowledged while taking off his gloves.

"Thanks." I rolled my eyes sarcastically, re-sheathing my dagger. "So, how does it feel to be beaten by a girl?" I asked tauntingly.

"Not so bad, especially knowing I could defeat you in plenty of other areas. Tell me, how's you mace work coming along?"

"That's not fair; I never used a mace before coming here!" I protested, crossing my arms but not moving an inch apart from that.

"Then you'll have plenty to learn." Leon mocked, tossing me a shield.

I reluctantly picked up the piece of protective plating; I had never needed a shield before now, and it wasn't exactly in my interests to learn how to use one now. Plus, I don't see the use of a mace except to learn how to use one.

I sighed and slid it onto my left arm, for my right was my weapon arm. The left side was so I could better manoeuvre the mace sir Pellinor handed me.

Mirroring Arthur, I swung the mace around with force towards him, then leapt to use the shield to defend myself against him. I fell on my butt; the backlash against the shield made the protective slab of metal slam into my head with undue force, especially since I refused to put on the helmet, not to mention blade-fighting and mace-related fights were very different.

I groaned and clutched my head. The shield had created a large red bruising bump on my snow-white skin. "Why do we even use maces? They're completely useless!" I complained, still rubbing the irritated patch of skin.

Arthur helped me up. "Yeah, can't say I can really argue with you there. However, I do suppose it's an efficient way to work on balance and control of force."

I grumbled. I hate it when complete idiots are right.

Arthur spent the next six hours teaching me how to properly use a mace, complete with demonstrations.

How tedious.

* * *

I came back to Gaius' and my shared chambers. Gaius turned to look at me with a slight smile. "Ah, Merlyne. How was your first day as Arthur's new maidservant?"

In response, I hit my head repeatedly where the mace was brought down on the helmet the most (once I had actually stated using the helmet).

 _~CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG~_

I looked around in an effort to find the source of the noise, then back at my mentor, who looked confused. "Do you hear a clanging noise?"

* * *

I practically inhaled my soup that night. "To answer your earlier question," I uttered between slurps, "It was awful. Arthur spent six hours teaching me how to use a mace."

"Is that so terrible? You'll be going on patrols. You need to know how to defend yourself." Gaius sipped on his broth.

"I have magic to defend myself."

"Arthur doesn't know that, Merlyne, and you must keep your gifts secret. If Uther would ever find out-"

"Yes, I'm aware that if Uther finds out I have magic he would execute me without a second thought!" I set down my spoon, having had my fill, then darted up and began pacing. "So what? It would make no difference in my life... Except that I would be dead. Of course, then he'll have to deal with Vert when I die. Vert probably has powerful magic to be on the other end of such a vital string. Vert will be vengeful. Ve-"

"Will you calm down and please tell me who 'Vert' is?" Gaius interrupted my rant and ended his sentence with quotation marks over the word Vert.

I stopped in my tracks. "I don't know exactly." I declared, then continued my pacing around the room. "However, I do know this: He or she is attached to the other end of this thread here," I raised my right wrist, "and is maybe around six years younger than me, probably. This I know though; 'Vert'," I raised my hands and used quotation marks, mocking his earlier action, "Is _probably_ not in the capital. Likely not in the Citadel, at least." Merlyne finally sighed and plopped down on the bench opposite where Gaius was sitting. "I actually don't know in the slightest. I try not to look at the threads while I'm in Camelot."

* * *

Ever since Valiant arrived, he was acting suspicious. Most were blind to it because of the fact that he was acting charming, but his sword and his shield are enchanted with dark magic. Even I, a dragon-proclaimed creature of the Old Religion, fear the pair combined, and in the tournament...

Gwen, though not magical, had noticed something strange about Valiant: he was far too nice. Sure, Morgana was nice, but Morgana and Gwen had played together in the village square almost all of the time Morgana had been heir to Gorlois' lands, however, when Morgana's mother, Lady Vivian, publicly admitted the affair, not only was Arthur heartbroken, but Morgana had to be disinherited from Gorlois, at which point Uther took Morgana in despite her status as a bastard-born child. In any case, their relationship changed when Gwen became the raven-haired beauty's maidservant and Morgana eventually began developing magic.

Of course, Gwen would never tell anyone. Morgana informed Gaius, and both he and I are helping her to learn to control it and her night terrors.

In any case, when I went to investigate, his snakes acted out, nearly bit me. I took out the dagger from the sheathe around my neck and sliced the head off of one of the snakes on the shield. Immediately did the snakes return to their places on the shield.

I glanced at the snake head lying on the floor, then reached for it and rushed out of Valiant's chambers.

* * *

I analysed the snake's scales and compared them with coloured pictures in the book. Finally, I found a match, accompanied by the picture of an identical snake from the shield that became alive.

' _An enchanted snake found in the south. Their poison can paralyse the body of the victim. They are used primarily to inhabit enchanted objects used for both attack and defence, such a swords and shields, for the attacker can quite often perform enchantments on these objects to make the snakes on the swords ans shields come alive to attack the defendant, paralysing them, or to an even greater extreme, poisoning them, effectively ensuring the attacker's victory._ '

I stuck ribbon in the page, took the snake head, and rushed to Arthur.

* * *

"Arthur, Arthur! Valiant is cheating in the tournament!" I screamed as I ran down the hallways, the book and the snake head in my hands.

An arm darted out from one of the tapestries and grabbed one of my arms. My feet tripped over each other, being stopped so abruptly in my running towards Arthur's chambers. My back slammed roughly against the stone wall and I heard a sickening 'CRACK', immediately before pain shot through my arm and I felt it in my feet. My eyes darted to the owner of the arm which had caused such pain, Valiant, who dragged one of his clawed fingers across my cheek, then flicking away a small rolled-up ball of skin away from his nail, then grabbing the underside of my chin roughly. "Dare tell anyone about my shield," he said, his eyes darting down towards the snake head in my hand, "If you even dare to tell anyone about this, I will not hesitate to cut your throat." He came up to the side of my face that was bleeding and whispered, "I will enjoy this. Watching either you die or your precious Arthur."

I growled. "Arthur is not mine." I declared defiantly through my clenched teeth.

"Yet you seem awfully determined to protect him." Valiant sneered. "I wonder why that is."

I ripped my chin away from his hand and my ear away from his ears in one move, looking in the other direction. I don't have the courage to look him in the eyes. "I believe in the future Arthur will build."

Valiant snarled. "Yes, I imagine you do." He threw my book on the stone floor and took the snake head, then threw it out the window. "Go and get it, Serving girl." The cheating knight sneered maliciously.

I picked up the book without shame and resisted the urge to knock his teeth out with it. Instead, I went on my way outside to retrieve the snake head, now lying down in the training grounds.

Leon was walking in the hallways when he saw me. I desperately tried to hide the cut on my face but I opened the book too late and he could clearly see the blood tracks down my cheek and chin. Leon took my arm, the same arm that had been mutilated by Valiant, and I winced slightly while whimpering. While well accommodated to pain, it was more slash marks on skin than broken bones.

Leon's face grew dark. We had developed a friendly relationship between me serving him food during breaks and getting him weapons of insulting Arthur and laughing at each other's half-serious joking insults. On occasion, we would also meet at the local tavern. "Merlyne, how did this happen? Who did this to you?"

My arm shook and my book fell to the floor. Leon let go in a flash once he noticed my quite obvious pain, which allowed me to pick up the book and hurry off. I didn't even turn back when Leon's enraged voice cried out: "We are not done! We'll be talking about this later!" and then left furiously, his boots' heels echoing on the marble floors.

I went faster and retrieved the snake head, then rushed away from there else the others notice my bloody cut.

On the way, I banged into Guinevere, especially since I was hiding my head behind a book.

I quickly covered my head with a book again, only for Guinevere to take my arm. I whimpered. "Was this Valiant?" Gwen asked kindly, referring to my maimed appendage. I turned my head to stare at her, obviously giving her my answer. Guinevere recoiled slightly under my hard stare, but kept eye contact. "Valiant must be exposed and punished for this." To convince me further, she added: "He's a threat to Arthur, which means he's a threat to the kingdom."

I snatched my arm back with force. "Agreed, but how do we stop him and make him hurt as much as possible while doing it?"

"We need to go to Arthur. He'll take us to Uther and we can expose Valiant there." Guinevere seemed awfully convinced.

I took Guinevere with my good arm after giving her the snake head and the book, leading her to Arthur's quarters, where I knew he was... Probably. After all, he wasn't on the training grounds and the sun was almost set.

* * *

"Merlyne, there you are..." Arthur greeted once I stepped through the double-doors before Guinevere. "and Guinevere. What merits this visit by _both_ of you at the same time?"

"May we be blunt?" Guinevere asked respectfully.

"You may." Arthur set down his quill from behind his desk.

"Valiant is cheating in the tournament." I walked towards Arthur and lay the snake head down on the desk, then opened the book to the page I had marked with the ribbon. Arthur read said page and compared the picture to the snake's head.

"That's not all, either. I saw the snakes on his shield come alive in his duel with Sir Ewain." Guinevere added.

"It would appear you both are right." Arthur sighed. "I'll call a council meeting."

* * *

Valiant's shield was confiscated when Uther called Gaius.

Uther held out the shield to my guardian. "Can you reveal the snakes on this shield, Gaius?"

"There is no need for that, Sire." The doors burst open, revealing a woman with short blue hair and long robes similar to Gaius's. "I sense there is powerful magic surrounding this shield."

Of course, no one realised that I was no present at this meeting.

Uther's eyes hardened. "Who are you?!"

"I am called Draconiquis." I strode into the room with great pride. I snatched the shield from Uther quite violently; his grip had gone slack since he found out my name. "Tell me, who does this shield belong to? He or she is quite guilty of the crime of sorcery."

Uther turned to Valiant, then pointed to him. "Seize this man!" Uther's eyes hardened. "You are guilty of magic and enchantments. You will be burned at the stake tomorrow at dawn." Uther sat back down on his throne as Valiant was dragged away from the courtroom. Valiant protested to his imprisonment, but was forced to move his feet following the guards to his new dark and musty cell.

Uther turned to me. "Now, I don't believe I've ever seen you before in my life, madam Draconiquis. Are you a sorceress?"

"In technicality, I am a warlock. A person born with magic."

"But you do use magic. Guards, take her to the dungeons, as well."

I super heated my skin to make it unbearable to touch, so once the guards took hold of my arms, they recoiled without a second thought lest their skin burn.

Arthur hadn't spoken until now, flabbergasted by the fact that it was me. So, when he finally piped up, the only thing he was able to manage was: "Why do you have blue hair?"

I chuckled. "My prince, while I learned magic my physical appearance changed. It is irreversible."

Arthur tsked. "Alright, then. Why can't the guards take you to the dungeons?"

"Because I do not wish it, and my magic is quite aggressive in supporting its beliefs." I responded carefully.

 **3rd POV**

Uther seemed at a loss as to what to do. He could not order her away on pain of death, for this woman could escape death whenever she pleased. He could not lock her in his dungeons, for this woman did not want to go there, and even if he could, she was likely to escape from his grasp before deciding how to kill her. He could not execute her, he could not banish her away from Camelot, nor could he make her reveal anything. Her magic was strong. Draconiquis, or better known as Merlyne, was not submissive in any sense of the word and she would not bow down to the man who had hunted her kin onto slaughter.

No way in hell.

 **Merlyne's POV**

I crossed my arms and took a step back. "I will do whatever you want, for it is the price of my study in magic."

Uther's shoulders relaxed, though his posture didn't change other than that action. "You will be cleansed of witchcraft by means of fire tomorrow at dawn." Uther decreed.

The guards took my arms while the glamours fell. My long auburn hair returned alongside my crystal-blue eyes.

Uther's face hardened. "You. I made you Arthur's maidservant."

I sneered at the vicious king while the guards froze. "Self-righteous and magic-pursuing as you are, there is magic at the heart of Camelot." I taunted him.

Over all of this, I didn't even realise the green thread had disappeared.

Arthur did his best to keep his face neutral, but found that he could not, for I was just sentenced to death by his father.

And so he would have to make one of the most difficult decisions of his life. The other side of his coin, or his biological father.

"Merlyne?" Arthur asked.

I struggled against the guards' unrelenting grip. They had fastened magic-restraining handcuffs on my wrists, so I could not escape. Struggle was also futile. I cried out my frustration against the restraints.

Arthur took a step back from me, unable to register exactly what was happening. The most powerful warrior in Camelot was unable to comprehend such a thing. "Father," Arthur said. "Isn't that sentence a little harsh?"

"Concerning sorcery, only one sentence is acceptable to me, even if she is your maidservant. She has done nothing but wreak havoc on this kingdom and this city!" Uther roared mercilessly. "Guards, take her to the dungeons _now_!"

I was forced to my feet and dragged away from Arthur and Uther. "You've got it wrong!" I screamed defiantly. "I've done nothing but protect this kingdom with my powers!"

"HOW DARE YOU ADDRESS THE COURT? I WILL HAVE YOUR TONGUE!"

"YOU ALREADY HAVE ME LIFE! IF YOU'RE GOING TO EXECUTE ME, GET ON WITH IT!" I yelled back as the guards dragged me away from the two monarchs.

"Father, surely you can reconsider your sentence, Merlyne didn't mean any harm to anyone!" Arthur protested.

"I have made my judgement and it stands!" Uther cried as the doors closed.

So, I spent the next six hours waiting for Arthur to come liberate me, all the while singing the same song, which seemed to disturb the guard watching me to no end.

" _I that am lost, oh who will find me?_  
 _Deep down below the old beech tree._  
 _Help to scour me now, the east winds blow,_  
 _Sixteen-by-six, brother, and under we go!_

 _Be not afraid to walk in the shade,_  
 _Save one, save all, come try!_  
 _My steps - Five-by-seven,_  
 _Life is closer to heaven._  
 _Look down, with dark gaze, from on high._

 _Without your love, he'll be gone forever._  
 _Save pity for strangers, show love the door._  
 _My soul seek the shade of my willow's bloom._  
 _Inside, brother mine -_  
 _Let death make a room._

 _Before he was gone - right back over my hill,_  
 _Now who will find him?_  
 _Why, nobody will._  
 _Doom shall I bring to him, I that am Queen,_  
 _Lost forever, nine-by-nineteen._ " I sang eerily without cease, repeating the same lyrics and the same tune with shocking ease over and over again. By the end of the night, the guard was humming along.

I suspect someone may be dead soon. I would always sing the song when someone had died or would soon.

My ethereal song was not without purpose. Since locking me in this cell, the guards had removed my magic-restraining handcuffs. The eerie tune of my voice as I sang the song slowly and creepily acted as a lullaby to put the guard to sleep, much like how Mary Collins enchanted the room full of Lords and Ladies the night I became Arthur's maidservant.

The guards fell asleep just as Arthur came down with the keys to my cell and a long purple cloak. "Sorry I took so long. I hope you didn't annoy the guard too much."

"He fell asleep because I was so boring." I lied humorously.

A click at the lock caused by a slight movement of the key, and the door swung open. The blond handed me the cloak, which I quickly threw over my shoulders, then followed my previous master down a corridor.

Quickly, the guards pursued us once they realised I had escaped. However, we used a passageway out of the city to lead me into the forest. When we found that the tunnel had been barred, I blasted away the metal grate and ran away. However, before fleeing into the woods, I turned back to Arthur and smiled. "Arthur, I will not forget this kindness. You will be repayed."

The cloak Arthur had given to me as a disguise swished in the cold night wind as I hurried into the woods. Most certainly, people followed me, but I threw them off my trail, quickly proceeding into the forest where I made myself at home in a cave for the night.

When I awoke, I was in the midst of six bowing men in cloaks.

I rose to my feet.

"Lady Emrys, you need not be concerned." one of the men said calmly. "We are the assembly of Avalon-Earthland relations."

"We sensed your distress and chose to bring you to a Druid camp, but we did not want to move you until you had regained consciousness, so we have been waiting here for several hours." Another explained.

My face hardened. "I don't understand why you're referring to me as a lady. I am not of noble blood." I chose to ignore the 'Emrys' comment and first address the 'Lady' topic I wasn't comfortable with.

"But you are. You are the child of the Triple Goddess."

"Unless that's somehow Hunith Acia or my father of the Lilia lines, then you've got it wrong." I backed away from the crazy people, raising my arms slightly to fend them off in case they approached me with malicious intent.

One of them approached me, but I could sense no maliciousness emanating from his magic. "You must calm yourself, Lady Emrys."

Instead of complying, I took a step back further.

I couldn't believe myself for all the foolish decisions I've made these past. Why the hell did I reveal myself to the court? Arthur can see the threads. He would have come for me anyways.

How foolish. Now the Once and Future King is without him Emrys, and Emrys is in the company of crazy people who believe I am the daughter of three goddesses.

However, I suppose it would do no harm to play into their fantasy.

These six men took me to a camp, where all the people bowed down to me.

I took a boy by his shoulders, a boy with brown hair and electric blue eyes, and pulled him up by his shoulders, followed by another. "I do not want any of you to bow down to me!" I yelled to the group of Druids who were promising their allegiance to me.

The boy with brown hair smiled at me kindly. It was not with incredible radiance, nor did it show any of the boy's teeth, indicating exactly how much he had to mature over his past years, which could not be more than eleven or twelve.

" _Emrys,_ " the boy spoke, though his mouth did not move. " _We are honoured that you have come to visit us._ "

By now, the people had risen to their feet.

"Who is the leader of this camp?" I asked.

A man stepped up. Thankfully, the hood of his cloak was down. "I am the leader. I am Aglain."

I nodded and stepped closer. "I understand you have no reason why to trust me, but could I possibly stay here? I could protect you."

Then I smacked myself. No, I couldn't. My magic volume was still in Gaius' chambers, and most certainly I hadn't studied most of the book.

Aglain seemed to read my thoughts and smiled. "We have more extensive magic books than those used by wizards. You will get a better education than what you could have gotten from Gaius."

I nodded. I wondered if anything would be the same.

Destiny takes an alternate route, forcing me down the path where I live with the Druids, and you know what? I honestly couldn't care less. Destiny can go fuck itself, because now I'm living with the Druids. Away from Arthur, Camelot, and destiny's hold.

 **In Camelot, 3rd POV**

The Great Dragon Kilgharrah roared furiously and without cease, in a desperate effort for his yelling to reach Merlyne's ears. Anyone owning magic could easily hear the furious yelling, so naturally, very few people in the Citadel could hear the ravenous bellow of the Great Dragon as he cried out for the most powerful warlock of all time.

 **Morgana's chambers**

Morgana rocked herself frontwards and backwards, curled up in a ball while holding her ears, bawling while Gwen did her best to keep her friend comfortable. Nothing could stop Morgana though, not even Gwen's soothing words or comforting touches, when Kilgharrah's voice reached a new octave in both volume and fury in his tone.

Morgana's scream echoed through the castle, coinciding with Kilgharrah's last yell before his throat turned raw and he stopped yelling on the top of his lungs. However, thinking the furious creature would begin his cries again, Morgana stayed in a ball. The echo of the dragon's cries shattered any semblance of sanity in Morgana's now fragile state of mind. Morgana rocked back and forth, refusing to remove her hands from over her ears in a futile attempt to restrain the echoes of the Dragon's cries.

Gwen went to get Gaius, but bumped into Arthur on the way.

"Arthur! Morgana's fallen ill!" Gwen cried.

Arthur helped Guinevere look for the court physician. However, they did not leave each other's presence and they talked the entire way to Gaius's chambers.

"Arthur, I fear you're in grave danger. Merlyne once told me that she continuously protected you from countless threats you faced. I didn't believe her at the time, but I fear she was right. If she used her powers to protect you-" Guinevere kept on talking, but Arthur did not register the words as he developed a headache. It was the same headache he used to get when Merlyne wouldn't stop talking. The headache was agonisingly familiar to him, and he associated the headache with one person: Merlyne.

So, mistaking Guinevere for his old maidservant he turned around furiously, yelling (rather loudly): "Merlyne, leave me alone, for Heaven's sake!"

Guinevere was shocked into silence as the words echoed around the hallway, and the both of them continued their search for the elderly man without another word to the other.

It turned out, Gaius was already in Morgana's chambers. He had come from the opposite way once Arthur and Guinevere turned the corner to look for the aged physician.

One thing was for certain, though. Nothing would ever again be the same, for destiny is a terrible thing that cannot and will not be extinguished.

 **Alright. So, do you remember how the green thread burned? Well, that's because destiny no longer has the same hold on Merlyne as before. So, the green thread is still connected to Merlyne's soul mate, but her actions altered fate, so the dynamics of their relationship changed.**

 **That being said, I'm still figuring out who's on the other end of the green thread.**

 **So far, here are the options I'm considering for Merlyne: Gwaine, Percival, Leon, Elyan, or Mordred. Remember, this is a crack-couple fic. I guess in retrospect, all fanfictions involving Merlin being in love with people other than Freya are crack fics.**

 **PS: Just so we're clear, Merlyne can choose if and when she wants to see the threads. It's more like a third eye than a part of her magic.**

 **PPS: Just because the green thread is burned _does not_ mean Arthur is now her soul mate!**

 _ **REVIEW, PLEASE!**_


	4. Aria our magical utopia

"Help me!" Merlyne cried, desperately fighting off oncoming attackers and assassins who'd managed to slip past the protective wards in the castle. Lancelot and Mordred rushed forward to fend off attackers alongside their ruler. In unison, they turned, their backs to each other, before understanding the untold message and instantly killing almost all their enemies.

It had been two years since Merlin's escape from Camelot. Her magic often reached out instinctively to protect him, and often other sorcerers did her work for her, but Merlin knew she needed to keep counsel over her people.

Camelot was not her home.

Two years ago, Merlyne ran away from Camelot. She was revealed as possessing magic, and sentenced to death, but Arthur broke her out of prison and let her run off into the forest in order to survive. As she ran and searched for a place to call home (because she knew she couldn't return to Ealdor anymore, not with her magic so out of control), she ran into the Elders. Raised to respect and practise the old religion, the six men took her in as Lady Emrys, into a druid camp. They taught her magic and spells, each one child's play. After two months, she'd mastered every spell in every book in the camps.

Then, against all odds, Merlin invented a new type of magic. Ley-point magic mixed with incantation essence and writings of the Old Religion, Runic symbols were created, and each drew power from different heavenly bodies. For example, some took power from moonlight, sunlight, and candlelight (they were called Light-type runes). Others would take power from metaphysical realms or other dimensions (which were called Dimensional runes).

Each of these runes were difficult to emulate, and took years of study and practice. Mordred was the first to have a natural talent for the runes, save Merlyne, and he actually invented his own type of rune: Dependent-type runes, which drew power from a charm or the presence of a species, or even from magic itself.

The next natural came in the form of a man looking for work, just out of position as the occupation of knight had been denied him because of his heritage, named Lancelot. Lancelot also formed his own type of runes: Summoning runes, which grew into two branches of the same magic. One was Necessity runes, where your magic would instinctively pull out and assess the situation and your surroundings to give you exactly what you would need, no matter how odd, in order to keep you alive. The other type was Luxury runes, which you could store anything into a pocket and keep it there, and take it out of that stasis dimension and use it when you were in need of it.

Merlyne, Mordred and Lancelot became known as the Runic Three, and soon enough those legends drew magic users from all around to the safe haven, often searching for protection.

Merlyne drew runes around the entire forest, casting banishing charms and runic circles designed to alert her when anyone without magic not clued into the wards crossed the border.

The brunette glanced mournfully at the corpses, and knelt down to relieve them of their weapons and valuables. She'd never thought magic-users would be after her life, not after offering her protection.

"It seems Camelot still has a few magic-users." Lancelot sighed.

"What makes you think this was Camelot?" Merlyne turned to the oldest of the Runic Three.

Lancelot knelt down, ripped off some fabric from one of the bodies, and presented her with the red background holding a golden dragon insignia.

Merlyne's eyes flashed with anger. Was Arthur trying to kill her? Magic rolled off her, and the air crackled with excess energy, feeding the magic-starved runes. She calmed herself, channeling the magic into her feet as complicated runic symbols were instinctively written with her magic signs. How dare people try to kill her?

She gave them protection, she dealt with threats to their very existence. Even those from Camelot, they always had permission to come here, but not if they kept trying to kill her.

She needed to upgrade the wards. Now, how to word this...

?

"They haven't reported back, father." Arthur reported to his father. "On those grounds, I suggest that the assailant hasn't been killed, nor have her companions."

A few months ago, Arthur went into the forest for some hunting, but he and his companions had triggered the wards on the ground and Merlyne appeared and ordered them out of the forest, and illuminated the wards so they wouldn't go wandering into those parts of the woods again. Unfortunately, that was where deer tended to flock, so a week later, when Arthur had gone into a part of the forest that wasn't illuminated with the yellow and blue wards for more hunting, a group of junior knights had gone into that part of the restricted forest, and were warned again, but they pulled their swords, and were never seen until two weeks later, their swords in their backs, covered with wounds.

Uther sent more into the forests in an attempt to kill the guardian of these woods (Arthur refused to tell anyone it was actually Merlyne), until he sent Gaius to analyze the runes and Gaius reported that it notified the guardian whenever someone without magic crossed the border. Thankfully, he had Gaius, who could teach magic to his knights in order to assassinate the woman keeping the forest for herself.

They were older gentlemen, around twice Arthur's age, and they weren't very good at magic when they were sent into Aria, Merlyne's home she'd built alongside the magic creatures occupying the forest. They hadn't returned, leading everyone to the assumption that those knights were dead.

"Organize a team of a thousand men. Eventually, she won't be able to keep going."

Arthur followed his father's orders, sending away the knights into possible battle and likely death.

"We don't have a thousand men left, Father."

"How many do we have, then?"

"Fifty." This was a lie. There was still five hundred, he just didn't want Uther to order him to sent all of those five hundred to their deaths anymore. It might encourage him to stop going after one of the only women he actually respected.

"Then we have no choice. We need to stop this assault on Aria and let that woman keep her forest." Uther ordered. "Start training more knights. I don't care if they're civilian, just so long as they can fight. Stop weeding through the contestants, too. They'll become stronger under your tutelage either way."

Arthur bowed. "Yes, sire."

?

Knowing the moniker EMRYS was one people had no clue what it meant to that the actual Emrys was the woman setting up all those runic barriers, proclaiming the interior to be Aria.

In the past, anyone with magic could enter the forest. Merlyne updated those runic barriers into 'anyone with magic or a magical creature who means no harm to my people or my property may enter'.

It was much easier that way, and there was much less for Merlyne to do. Taking care of Aria and keeping Arthur alive was more difficult than it looked, especially when you combined those responsibilities.

She wasn't blind. Sooner or later she would be forced to choose. She hoped her next decision would be for the best.


End file.
